By its nature, nursing can be a chaotic affair. Emotional patient outbursts, emergency cases, and other factors beyond your control can suddenly disrupt your workflow. You cannot account for everything, but nurses must control what they can. One way to do this is to get organized. You become less stressed and distracted, and more productive when you know where everything is. As long as you follow these tips for nurses and commit to excellence, anyone can become a properly organized nurse!
Have a plan ahead of time
Some advice for new nurses: Some direction may be what you need to bring order to your day. Instead of completing tasks as they go, planning ahead will reduce stress long term. Make a to-do list by going over your tasks and arranging them by priority. This can be accomplished with a planner or a digital application. You can even plan things the day before if you review patient information. One last CNA tip: do not make your plans so rigid, since anything can change at a moment’s notice.
Set big picture goals
A common tip for new nurses is setting big picture goals. Whether it is gaining work experience at a specific department or logging in a certain amount of extra hours, this will give your work more purpose and forward momentum. These goals could be accomplished in 1 month, 2 months or even free months. When you give yourself something to work towards, you become more motivated and driven. Ask your supervisor for help with crafting these goals and creating a plan of attack. With their experience, they can provide valuable tips for nurses and much needed perspective. From there, you can plan your work weeks and work days with clear benchmarks, action items and progress trackers in mind.
Make use of technology
This is the digital age. Things are faster, more streamlined and easily accessible than they have ever been. Adopting technology into your work routine is great advice for new nurses who want to get organized. As we mentioned earlier, planner apps can help with scheduling appointments, in order to reduce confusion and lost time. Depending on your facility, you may be able to use apps which let patients submit crucial health data in real-time or communicate with their doctors in a HIPAA-compliant manner. This is just a couple of CNA tips for incorporating technology into your workflow.
Know your limits
This is not only a good tip for new nurses, but some veterans as well. When someone asks you to help with tasks that do not require a physician, you do not always have to say yes. Help when you can, but it may be better to delegate if you are already dealing with numerous patients. Ask medical assistants, interns, volunteers or administrative staff if they can handle those tasks for you. Another tip for nurses: As respectfully as possible, explain that your time is limited yet these tasks must be completed.
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